Changing the Face of Death

Aug 25, 2011
Katie Mitchell

Burial Ritual in Bulgaria - Klearchos Kapoutsis

Our reaction to death has changed. Throughout most of human history natural burial was the norm, and it may be time to return to that practice today.

Death never changes. Everyone dies, and everyone loses people to death. What does change is how we as a society react to it.

In the United States, the thought of death and burial tends to evoke images of hospitals, funeral parlors, church memorial services and elaborate burials with large coffins and fine headstones. But this was not the case for the majority of human history. Death used to be a common part of everyday life, a part that everyone was familiar with, and had some idea how to manage.

A History of Death Culture

Throughout most of human history, people wanted to treat the deceased with respect and honor. However, it is only within the past few hundred years that the manner of death and burial as a proper event and formal presentation has become normal, and even expected.

As far back as the time of the Neanderthals, 60,000 years ago (and probably earlier), people were burying their dead with respect and intent. Researchers have found graves containing antlers and bits of flowers, suggesting that a certain degree of ceremony was observed.

Moving forward 30,000 years, we see Western European burial sites with ivory, jewelry and shells positioned close to skeletal remains. Remains also appear to have been clothed and decorated.

On the North American continent, prehistoric peoples cared for their dead in ways that worked best with seasonal and possibly nomadic lifestyles. As time went by, however, Native Americans began to use burial, cremation and exposure to the elements and predators for body disposal.

By the time of the Middle Ages, death and burial were much more than facts of life – they were a reflection of one's soul and class. Burial within in the Christian church was ideal, as it kept one closer to God and within holy ground. The prime spots were those close to the alters and relics of saints and martyrs. Of course, such real estate was generally affordable only to the wealthy.

Although forms of embalming had been practiced by the ancient Egyptians, South Americans and others, intentional preservation of human remains was not common until the U.S. Civil War in the 1860s. The main purpose of embalming at that time was to ensure that families of fallen soldiers could see their loved ones one more time, even when the soldier had died a great distance from home.

Scientific advancements, remnants of a highly formal culture and an American obsession with cleanliness are just some of the factors that form our expectations of Western death culture today. Honor and respect are still of core importance, but practicality and conservation in the methods of body disposal are all but lost on us.

According to The National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a typical funeral in 2009 was nearly $7,000. This includes embalming, visitations, services, transportation of the body, a casket and a vault. Additional costs could include the burial plot, headstone and social gatherings for friends and family.

Beyond the financial cost, conventional embalming and burial practices negatively affect the bodies of embalmers, impact the environment with transfer of large objects like caskets and vaults and deplete our natural resources for the manufacture of wood, metal and concrete items.

Quite a contrast to Tibetan Buddhists, who often place a respectfully prepared body out on the mountaintops for the birds to consume.

A Changing Culture

It would not be realistic to think that people in North America might be willing to forgo the ceremony of embalming and large caskets for vultures and mountaintops. However, certain changes are taking place, and more and more people are willing to hear about their options.

Something that should be made clear to every grieving family is that embalming and vaulting are not required by law across the board. In many cases, such requirements are at the discretion of the cemetery. It is important to research the facts around proper burial, especially if there are budgetary concerns.

Cremation has long been an alternative to burial, and is seeing increased popularity after the economic downturn of 2008. For many, cremation is not viable for religious reasons. For others, it can be a far less expensive method than burial.

Green burial is perhaps the most affordable, clean, natural and traditional means of funeral ritual and body disposal. While the locations that offer such a service are few compared to those of conventional services, the popularity of green burial is growing.

Green burial means that the body of the deceased is not embalmed. It is simply cleaned and placed within a biodegradable box or shroud. Plots are typically in pleasant park type landscapes and marked with natural materials like stones and bushes. A green burial can cost just a couple thousand dollars.

In order for us to truly change how we see death and burial in our Western culture, we must first recognize that our habits and practices have not always been observed. In fact, most of what we expect in the face of death is recent development. Once we are willing to explore the beneficial alternatives, we can truly change the face of death.